Russian air defense systems have shot down around a dozen Western-supplied missiles over Belgorod Region on the border with Ukraine, the Defense Ministry in Moscow has said.
The new round of Ukrainian attacks was reported by local governor Vyacheslav Gladkov in the early hours of Tuesday. Defenses downed a total of 13 “air targets” as they approached the city of Belgorod, the official said, without giving further details.
The strike was confirmed around two hours later by the Defense Ministry, which said Russian forces had thwarted an “attempt by the Kiev regime to carry out a terrorist attack” using Czech-supplied RM-70 Vampire multiple rocket launchers. It confirmed that 13 projectiles had been destroyed mid-air.
According to Gladkov, the attack resulted in two people being injured. He noted that one man had suffered a head and abdominal injury, while the other casualty suffered head trauma. Both have been hospitalized and are receiving medical treatment, he added.
In a follow-up post, the governor said the authorities had decided not to activate missile alert sirens amid the overnight shelling, explaining they did not want citizens to leave their homes and go outside, where the risk of injury is much higher. He nonetheless encouraged residents to share their opinion on whether they believed this was the right thing to do.
Belgorod Region, along with other areas bordering Ukraine, is routinely targeted by Kiev’s artillery, missile, and drone strikes, many of which claim civilian lives and damage critical infrastructure.
One of the most devastating attacks on the city of Belgorod occurred in late December, killing 25 people and injuring more than 100. Another strike in mid-February killed seven people and injured 20. Both assaults also used Vampire rockets.
Against this backdrop, Russian President Vladimir Putin said earlier this month that Moscow could establish a ‘cordon sanitaire’ in Kiev-controlled territories to protect the Russian population from Ukrainian strikes.